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Equitable Self-Assessment and Intervention Practices in Supplemental Instruction
Full text linkTo promote equitable learning and assessment practices in Supplemental Instruction classrooms, weekly surveys were conducted in a BIOL 198 SI course linked to a Genetics (BIOL 340) core class. These weekly surveys provided opportunities for students to reflect on the effectiveness of their learning strategies. The Supplemental Instruction Leader then implemented activities during class to focus on reading comprehension and test preparation, the two areas indicated by students as their areas of least confidence. Quantitative and qualitative data demonstrated improvement in SI student reflections of self-efficacy throughout a non-consecutive six-week period
Modeling Peak Photosynthesis in The Great Smoky Mountains
Full text linkThis study examines how climate change is affecting plant phenology—the timing of seasonal growth—in the Great Smoky Mountains (GSM), a deciduous forest located between North Carolina and Tennessee. The research focuses on how variations in spring temperature and winter precipitation influence the timing of peak vegetation growth, measured using the Green Chromatic Coordinate (GCC). GCC is a spectral index that tracks the greenness of vegetation from RGB images, indicating leaf development and peak photosynthesis. Using data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the project aims to predict when peak GCC occurs each year
James\u27 Fabulous Mobile Dog Food Pantry: A Grassroots Initiative!
Full text linkI developed a mobile dog food pantry to meet the needs of unsheltered pets across Humboldt County. Using donations from various sources and implementing similar models used by local nonprofits, I developed access to pet food in areas with an unmet need
Revisiting the Fishes of the Beartooth Butte Formation
Full text linkThis research aims to address the species composition of Devonian fossil fish species from a formation in Wyoming called the Beartooth Butte. This location has not received much, if any, attention from paleoichthyologists since the fossils within the formation were originally described in 1932. These fishes were overlooked for botanical fossils, and historically yielded fragmentary material. However, specimens from a Cal Poly Humboldt excavation in 2017, not only include the second articulated fossil from the formation, but also the first 3D fossil recorded
Preparation and Evaluation of Polylactic Acid-Quinoa Composite Films
Full text linkBiodegradable composites were developed by incorporating quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild.) into polylactic acid (PLA), with varying ratios. The resulting films were characterized using melting points, bomb calorimetry, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, water uptake, water permeability, water contact angle, antioxidant assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of differing quantities of quinoa fiber affected the properties of the composites. These initial studies show quinoa/PLA composites have potential in the development of bio-renewable and biodegradable materials for active food packaging
Exploring the placebo effect on the cortisol stress response
Full text linkThe placebo effect is well-studied on pain perception and is often observed to have a pain-reducing effect in patients. A few studies suggest that the placebo effect can influence physiological changes in people. To date, not many studies have examined the placebo effect on stress; thus, the current study explored the placebo effect on participants’ cortisol stress response and self-reported stress while undergoing a modified acute stress task, the Sing-a-Song Stress Test (SSST). The current study includes 44 participants (22 in the control group and 22 in the treatment group). A deceptive stress-reducing tincture (filled with water) was used as a placebo treatment along with a script that explained how it works. The current study did not find significant evidence that suggested the placebo effect can reduce people’s self-reported stress and salivary cortisol levels. It is important to note that the modified version of the SSST was not successful in inducing stress in participants. Therefore, the result should be interpreted with caution. Future researchers are recommended to further validate the SSST or use alternative stress-inducing paradigms that are well-validated, like the Tier Social Stress Test (TSST), to test similar hypotheses. Given the rise of mental health concerns and misuse of medication, similar hypotheses still need to be investigated, as they may provide new directions for developing treatments that incorporate the placebo effect, which may enhance the treatment outcome as well as reduce the unnecessary use of medications
The Impacts of Personal Narratives, Statistics Data, and Images on Attitudes and Actions
Full text linkPersonal narratives are powerful in garnering interest, empathy, and may improve attitudes on issues as compared to statistically oriented information, but have primarily been investigated in text-only formats. Little is known about the effects of visual information on individuals\u27 attitudes. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of presenting data, narrative information, or a combination of information through verbal or visual channels on individuals\u27 attitudes. The implications of this study enable us to understand the most effective information presentation methods when influencing individuals\u27 attitudes and actions on controversial and emotionally charged topics
The Case for Ungraded
Full text linkWe use grades to categorize student achievement and provide feedback, but is this really the best way to foster accountability, prompt meta-cognition, and instill students with an intrinsic love of learning? Despite the near ubiquitous acceptance of grading as a standard feature of secondary and post-secondary education, educational philosophers and educational practitioners have had reservations about grading–practically since its inception. If grading does not lead to the best outcomes for our students, what shall we do instead? The Case for Ungraded is a poster created and presented by Alexandria Rumbel, a graduate student in the Master’s of Education program at Cal Poly Humboldt
Assessing uncertainties in a flow injection analysis method for trace concentrations of iron in seawater
Full text linkIron is an essential nutrient in biological systems, and is the limiting nutrient in about ⅓ of the surface ocean. We investigate the flow injection method of Lohan et al., 2006, with modifications described in Biller et al., 2013 to analyze nanomolar concentrations of iron in seawater. In this work we focus on quantifying and understanding the uncertainties in the measurements and the signal of the blank by adjusting the method in four distinct ways
Bonding with Earth: Hyperbole, Metaphor, or Fanciful Teleology?
Full text linkAt a mere glance, the notion that humans could (should strive for?) bond emotionally with an entire planet, Earth, sounds hyperbolic at best and psychologically unsound at worst. For although humans might be motivated to act in ways that pass for “bonding,” perhaps assisted by intentions and sentiments to care for a whole planet, the question remains: Which notion of Earth are they really investing all their emotions in? Important to psychologists would be to inquire whether incomplete, idealized, oversimplified, or fantastic notions of “Earth,” or bonding, turn out to be transference-love-like, platonic, overidealized forms of affect, which seldom develop into mature person- environment or person-to-person relations